I love experimentation, iteration, creating proofs of concept. I, also, strongly believe that any code that is not in production is completely useless. That being said, as a person who ships software products for a living, the #1 struggle I have is launching something that is “good enough”.

Product launch that is “good enough” really means that:

“We just launched something that meets some baseline expectations of our potential buyers who use similar products already”.

I’m talking about products that are just another iteration of something that is out there. They have some new features, yes, but usually lack something that is already planned for Version 2. Basically, a net zero gain for the user that improves on some meaningless metric for a company. Moreover, the overall experience feels quirky. Interactive elements are misplaced, transitions feel strange, and the overall experience is just really dull.

Looking back, I realize that I’ve launched way too many iterations that felt just like that. There’s no glamour, no one’s really proud of it, we didn’t learn anything new nor did we innovate in any meaningful way. I basically did my job, rallied the troops, made some money and padded my LinkedIn credentials.

I must admit, that for a person who is a terminal workaholic, an exchange of “endless hours of work for increasing amounts of $$$” doesn’t make that much sense anymore. It took me a good part of the year to understand the missing piece here. To be a happy product builder, I need to believe that what I’m doing is actually my life’s work, and i need to be surrounded by people who hold the same belief as well.

With enough time and money, anyone can build a CRM, note app, project management system or whatever trend ProductHunt’ers are chasing after this week. Everyone has access to the latest technology resources and knowledge, so mimicking things is relatively easy. What can’t be easily copied, however, is the way how your product feels, the principles and the beliefs that you hold when making hundreds of small decisions that will impact your customers. These things compound and in the end you have something that your users love.

One can always feel when a product they just purchased was built by people who really poured their hearts and souls into it. Artisan handcrafted physical goods are a classical example here, and to this day, no one can beat the overall experience that Apple offers.

As for software, I vividly remember my excitement when I tried Arc browser for the first time. I literally recorded their product onboarding on my phone, because it felt exceptional. Later I came across their culture handbook that basically explained the reason why their browser felt so damn great. “Showing up with a heartfelt intensity” is their key value. That’s it!

That’s what you need to really innovate in an already crowded browser space. That’s what Superhuman probably needed to handcraft a superior email experience for people who’s primary job is to respond to email. That’s what Slack instilled in their culture when they created the first work chat product.

So, as I look forward to the products and experiences that I’ll build next, I’m really looking forward to the part where I’ll be able to dive deeper, go that extra mile and learn what it actually takes to Build the things the right way as well.